Around the time I was in Hong Kong, I had updated my TravBuddy.com profile to reflect my plans to trek in Nepal in April. It was the first time I've tried to arrange to meet up with someone for the purpose of traveling together. I didn't have to try too hard because I soon received a message from Gela (pronounced “gay-lah”), a Dutch woman planning to visit Nepal at the same time as me. Over the next month or so, we exchanged emails every few days. She would be arriving in Nepal before me to volunteer in a village outside of Pokhara.
On my flight to Kathmandu, one of the Kiwis sitting next to me made a joke about the idea of planning a trek around someone you've never met. I responded that it felt like an adventure within an adventure. For some reason, the idea that Gela and I would not get along never occurred to me. I just assumed that we were both the kind of person who liked the idea of having someone to meet up with in advance. Through e-mail, we had also ensured our interests and priorities surrounding the trek were similar.
We bumped into each other on the sidewalk in Pokhara a few hours before we were due to rendezvous at the Moonlight restaurant for dinner. It felt great to finally connect with the person I'd be trekking with for 10 days. We walked down to the lake's edge as she hadn't yet seen the view yet. Once there, we sat on the concrete steps and began to get to know each other.
After our butts began to tire, we spoke to three travel agencies about hiring a guide and porter. The prices for an 11-day Annapurna Sanctuary trek were all about the same. I was happy we ran into Rob and Rosie at Moondance, though they left soon after for their night bus back to Kathmandu. Gela and I discussed our options for the trek, and settled on hiring the guide/porter through The Mountain Guest House where she was staying. It would cost me about $32/day, which included the cost of accommodation, 3 meals/day, and transportation to/from Pokhara.
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dan says
April 21, 2008 at 1:23 am$32 a day, nice. And i thought trekking would mean having to inflate my budget. I’m guessing that is costs shared between two people though, would be more without a partner or group? I imagine it is an experience you would want to share with someone anyway.
Dave says
April 21, 2008 at 5:09 amDan – It was $32 per person. I like my alone time, however I’m very glad I had another “tourist” to share the sights with. It’s not the same if you go with just a guide or porter who’ve seen it all before. Also, there were tons of people who were trekking alone on the circuit and sanctuary treks, as well as in little groups. I didn’t think it was expensive at all, however others clearly took cost into account when deciding to carry their own pack, though a sense of “doing it yourself” seemed more pervasive.
Gela and I had agreed that we’d enjoy it more if we didn’t have to carry our own bags, and I think that’s the way it worked out for both of us in the end. We both had our difficulties at certain parts, and I just couldn’t see adding a 10kg bag to it.
lissie says
April 21, 2008 at 1:37 amIs it common practice to hire a guide/porter for the treks now? Or are you just being slack about carrying your bag :D When i was in Nepal in the late 80’s only the old, infirm and rich hired a guide/porter – though I got a porter on the route when I got sick – on the Everest base camp trail- it wasn’t exactly hard to find the way – every kid in every village pointed it out! Just curious if times have changed?
Dave says
April 21, 2008 at 5:14 amLissie –
Plenty of people were traveling alone or in small groups without guide or porter. Actually, the number surprised me a bit. For me, I’m adventurous however with no trekking experience, I didn’t want to go it alone my first time in such a challenging environment. It helps to have someone with you who knows what the weather will be like for the day. Having completed a 10 day trek in the region, I think I could see myself going with a small group of friends, perhaps with just a porter between us.
I mean I need to be realistic – I have no desire to kill my back or knees. So I guess some people see it as a luxury. I saw it as companionship, giving a guy a job, and allowing me to fully enjoy the experience Still, plenty of people said you get use to carrying the pack after a day or two. Maybe some day, but I think I need a bit more experience and confidence in the outdoors first.
dan says
April 21, 2008 at 6:23 am$32 a day, nice. And i thought trekking would mean having to inflate my budget. I’m guessing that is costs shared between two people though, would be more without a partner or group? I imagine it is an experience you would want to share with someone anyway.
Dave says
April 21, 2008 at 10:09 amDan – It was $32 per person. I like my alone time, however I’m very glad I had another “tourist” to share the sights with. It’s not the same if you go with just a guide or porter who’ve seen it all before. Also, there were tons of people who were trekking alone on the circuit and sanctuary treks, as well as in little groups. I didn’t think it was expensive at all, however others clearly took cost into account when deciding to carry their own pack, though a sense of “doing it yourself” seemed more pervasive.
Gela and I had agreed that we’d enjoy it more if we didn’t have to carry our own bags, and I think that’s the way it worked out for both of us in the end. We both had our difficulties at certain parts, and I just couldn’t see adding a 10kg bag to it.
lissie says
April 21, 2008 at 6:37 amIs it common practice to hire a guide/porter for the treks now? Or are you just being slack about carrying your bag :D When i was in Nepal in the late 80’s only the old, infirm and rich hired a guide/porter – though I got a porter on the route when I got sick – on the Everest base camp trail- it wasn’t exactly hard to find the way – every kid in every village pointed it out! Just curious if times have changed?
Dave says
April 21, 2008 at 10:14 amLissie –
Plenty of people were traveling alone or in small groups without guide or porter. Actually, the number surprised me a bit. For me, I’m adventurous however with no trekking experience, I didn’t want to go it alone my first time in such a challenging environment. It helps to have someone with you who knows what the weather will be like for the day. Having completed a 10 day trek in the region, I think I could see myself going with a small group of friends, perhaps with just a porter between us.
I mean I need to be realistic – I have no desire to kill my back or knees. So I guess some people see it as a luxury. I saw it as companionship, giving a guy a job, and allowing me to fully enjoy the experience Still, plenty of people said you get use to carrying the pack after a day or two. Maybe some day, but I think I need a bit more experience and confidence in the outdoors first.
crambox says
April 21, 2008 at 2:18 pmRite on mate let some one else work hard its your vacation/trip of a life time plus your adding to there economy providing jobs all that jazz!!! glad to see you have some company will be a nice break!!
crambox says
April 21, 2008 at 9:18 amRite on mate let some one else work hard its your vacation/trip of a life time plus your adding to there economy providing jobs all that jazz!!! glad to see you have some company will be a nice break!!